most helpful things for visitors to do post partum

[crazyrunningmama]

Hiya!! Not sure if this is the right forum. I was thinking of doing up a list and posting it my house with the title "Helpful Things to do While You Visit Me" for the postpartum period (and the first, oh I don't know, 4-6 months ). I feel a bit awkward asking people directly to do something, but that way anyone who wanted to be helpful would know what I would like (and hopefully it will prevent my mom from trying to help me "declutter' and throwing out my stuff while I'm not looking, like she did last time). I was thinking things like sweeping, make a salad, "help" DD pick up her toys, load the dishwasher...

What you would put on such a list?

[Bokonon]

Laundry
Dishes
Grocery shopping
Changing bed sheets
Cooking
Entertaining older kids
Taking the car for an oil change
Providing lots of moral support for breastfeeding
Holding the baby so mom can eat/take a shower/use the bathroom/nap, without giving the baby a bottle without consent

[tessie]

I would have liked someone to have vacuumed.

[lifeguard]

Any housecleaning. Grocery shopping. Cooking meals (& cleaning up afterwards). Walk the dogs.

[FrugalGranolaMom]

cooking, dishes, laundry, general housecleaning

[ExuberantDaffodil]

Bring food! This was so very helpful to me postpartum.

Take the older kid(s) to go see a movie or to the park or other fun activity. My son loved getting a bit of extra attention, the the chance to loll around in bed nursing and getting to know my new wee one without feeling guilty that I was neglecting the older offspring was a godsend.

I wouldn't ask just anyone to do laundry or vacuum or pick up odds and ends cluttering up the house, but if it is a close family member than absolutely.

[~RememberToForget~]

Being able to have a nap while someone else holds the baby.

When I was in the hospital after my c/s my MIL came and was holding the baby the whole time and I was super tired and dozing off and she just would not stop talking.I mean,you would think that she could see how tired I was by just looking at me so the decent thing for her to do would be to STOP talking and just hold and enjoy my baby while I sleep.Why try to exhaust someone even more after they've just had a baby? It was rude.

Other things would be:
Cooking or bringing over food
dishes

[Sk8ermaiden]

I third bringing food. I don't like people doing things in my house (even with my brutal c/s recovery). But I appreciated food. A lot!